Women and Girls in STEM
:The female population is extremely underrepresented in the STEM field. It’s a male-dominated community, so it’s harder for women and girls to make an impact.Hill, Rebecca. “STEM Has a Diversity Problem.” parentmap. 1 May 2017. https://www.parentmap.com/article/stem-stream-diversity-education-statistics The field is kind of a paradox when it comes to diversity. With more current role models in STEM, the more people want to be like those role models. And when those role models are all stereotypical males, it’s harder for people who cannot identify with these role models to work in a community with them. :There are many stereotypes against women and girls in STEM, like that girls aren’t good at mathematics, leading to not be good at science, technology, or engineering because all of those require knowledge and significant experience in math. Another common stereotype is that women shouldn’t be employed because when they have children, they will need to take time off. This is only true if the woman has children, although people who are not women if they have children, will most likely have to take around the same amount of time off to take care of the child.Sassler, Sharon. Glass, Jennifer. Levitte, Yael. Michelmore, Katherine M. “The Missing Women in STEM? Assessing Gender Differentials in the Factors Associated with Transition to First Jobs.” ncbi. 28 September 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5315093/ Many people have unconscious biases and implications of those stereotypes, which are often worse than conscious biases because there is no means of fixing them. :Girls are sometimes taught at a young age that their intelligence is set and it cannot grow. This can make them doubt their own abilities and intellect.Hill, Catherine. “Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.” aauw. 2019. https://www.aauw.org/research/why-so-few/ The opposite of a fixed mindset (the fixed intelligence/understanding and capability to learn) is a growth mindset, and multiple studies have found that they are extremely beneficial to all people, especially girls interested in STEM. Women in STEM may be frustrated over any of the many stereotypes, leading them to leave STEM for a different career. A growth mindset can help prevent this and help everyone see the bright side of things and learn from mistakes. :In the late 1980s, the number of women in STEM skyrocketed. But it has barely grown since then.Sassler, Sharon. Glass, Jennifer. Levitte, Yael. Michelmore, Katherine M. “The Missing Women in STEM? Assessing Gender Differentials in the Factors Associated with Transition to First Jobs.” ncbi. 28 September 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5315093/ One study found that only one-third of STEM is women, while two-thirds are men.Value Colleges. “Women in STEM: What You Need to Know Before Putting on a Lab Coat.” valuecolleges. 2019. https://www.valuecolleges.com/guides/women-in-stem/ Evidently, this study did not include nonbinary people. With STEM being so male-dominated, it makes it increasingly harder for women to get into STEM. Additionally, women are still not paid as much as men. Women and men and people of all genders should have equal representation in the STEM workforce and shouldn’t have advantages or disadvantages simply based upon their gender. Category:Main